What To Do When...

...the toddler eats a handful of raw ground turkey?
*
*

*
Clear your schedule, wear something washable, and prepare for some sticky, vomiting toddler snuggles. Yuck.

Spend some time on the phone with the pediatrician and the midwife. Be grateful that the midwife is well informed and really knows her stuff - because the pediatrician wasn't much help at all.

Also, save the package the turkey came in - in case you have to visit Urgent Care (looks like we missed that adventure, thank goodness!).

Sip Pedialite slowly, an hour after the last puke. Flavor it with a little peppermint tea to soothe the tummy.

Take a relaxing bath spiked with chamomile tea and lavender oil and wash the sticky off yourself and the toddler.


Go to bed with a movie....

Oh, wait. Wipe up and change everyone's shirts again. Sleep with the toddler cuddled up on a towel.

Sigh.

Plan on laundry for tomorrow. Lots of laundry.

Sigh.

Wordless Wednesday: My Nursing Career

First nursing day ever.

 I know it's supposed to be "Wordless", but I want to preface today by saying that it has been National Breastfeeding Month all August. To celebrate, on this last Wednesday of August, here are pictures of me nursing my little ones.

I have been nursing for just under 5 years. Ten and a half months I nursed both kids at once. It's magical and special and amazing. I feel so blessed that my babies have grown healthy and strong with what my body can make.

Mama Faery nurses Baby-Faery (Brother-Bug)

Brother-Bug and I review a picture book with my mom.

Brother and Sister-Bugs latch together on Sister's first morning with us.

Little Sister enjoys a solo nosh.

Sister on Brother on Mama! Everyone eats.

This is a favorite moment. Sister-Bug is a day old. She is laying on Brother-Bug who has his arm wrapped around her in a cuddle. Talk about sweet memories.

No More Nursing

The title here is misleading. Of course I am still nursing my one-year old. It's the four-and-a-half year old who recently stopped. I was blessed to tandem nurse both my babies for almost a year. And then I realized I was ready to be done with nursing my son. In my heart I wanted it to be his decision, or at least a mutual understanding. We talked and talked about this. We started talking in November, and in January we were still talking.

I finally made the call. January 31st was his last day to nurse. He sailed through it with assorted feelings, had an ice cream sundae, and I was down to one nursling. In the wake, I mentioned to Papa-Bug that he needed to eat right away when he woke up because he was waking up hungry expecting that good Mama Milk.

The child overheard me and a frequent refrain from him has been; "I just don't think I get enough dairy in the mornings, Mama." I've offered cow milk and milk alternatives. No dice.

Brainwave yesterday. I have some bags of Sister-Bug's milk in the fridge that I pumped when overflowing last spring. So I warmed on up and put it in a cup.

And he didn't really like it.

I told him that it didn't taste as good as it did because his body doesn't need it anymore.

He looked proud of being so grown up.